The way the first half of the season has gone for the Mets it would not be surprising to see Mr. Met on crutches today at Citi Field.
One by one, the Mets have lost players to the disabled list this season raising questions about what is going on with this team. Is there a medical explanation, a flaw in the team’s conditioning program, or can this be chalked up to a run of massive bad luck?
Privately, some player agents and executives from other teams around baseball have wondered what is happening with the Mets.
Will Carroll, who writes about medical issues for Baseball Prospectus, studies the data on injuries for every team and said he can detect no patterns with the Mets, other than “horrendous luck” and a propensity to be “more up front about injuries then most teams.”
The Mets also have a perception about them that they consistently mishandle these injuries. It began last year with Ryan Church’s concussion problems. (After he was traded on Friday, Church took a mild parting shot, saying his injury could have been handled differently). It’s continued this year with the team saying injuries are minor then watching them become major.
The team’s medical staff, led by trainer Ray Ramirez and physician Dr. David Altchek, has a good reputation. Mets general manager Omar Minaya has stood by the doctors, saying he believes they’ve given good advice.
Here is a closer look at the major injuries the Mets suffered this season:
CARLOS DELGADO
INJURY: Right hip impingement
THE BEGINNING: Delgado has had recurring hip problems, and they flared up on April 26 after a slide. The team initially thought he had inflammation and he would miss three or four days. He had a cortisone shot (a continuing theme in the Mets season). He came back briefly, then was sidelined again.
The Mets said he had an impingement that would give him pain throughout the season, but he could play through it.
“In talking with our people, we think it’s a matter of tolerance,” manager Jerry Manuel said. “It’s something that we don’t feel could get any worse, that type of thing. Obviously, it would be clearly up to him whether he could tolerate that or not. There will be days he’ll feel kind of cranky and days where he feels good. We’ll have to find that balance.”
THE END: Delgado last played on May 10, and the Mets seemed to take forever to put him on the DL, leaving Manuel shorthanded. Finally on May 16 he was shelved. An MRI exam revealed Delgado had a torn labrum in the hip, as well as a bone spur. He had arthroscopic surgery and is not expected back before August.
CARLOS BELTRAN
INJURY: Right knee bone bruise
THE BEGINNING: Manuel removed Beltran from center field on May 23, using him as a designated hitter in Boston, after he complained of pain in his knee. Beltran had an MRI, which revealed a bruised and inflamed right tibia. He had a cortisone shot and was given a few days off.
“A bruise like that can sometimes be something that’s aggravating,” Manuel said. “It’s different than a hamstring. It’s just something you have to tolerate for the most part.”
THE END: Beltran kept playing until going on the disabled list on June 22, nearly a month later. The size of the bruise “kind of doubled” Beltran said, and the doctors ordered him to do nothing but rest. Beltran flew to Colorado to see specialist Dr. Richard Steadman, who agreed with the Mets’ diagnosis.
Beltran still has not begun baseball activities and will be re-examined over the All-Star break. The earliest he could return is the end of the month.
JOSE REYES
INJURY: Tendinitis behind right calf
THE BEGINNING: Reyes’ calf tightened up during a flight from New York to San Francisco on May 13. The team announced he would miss a few days and then return.
“Reyes could play, but having a tight calf we thought it best if we could give him a day if we could,” Manuel said in San Francisco. “Could he pinch hit? Sure. If there was an emergency, could he play? Sure. He’s one of the warriors on this team — he just needs to tone down his baserunning a little bit.”
THE END: Reyes missed five games, then returned in Los Angeles. But the shortstop admitted he was still not right.
“I don’t feel like I’m 100 percent, but we’re missing a couple of guys and I feel good enough to play,” Reyes said. “It’s not like I’m going to run the way I used to run. I’m going to be smart about it. I’ll see how I feel and go from there. But it’s going to be hard for me to just take it easy, because that’s not the way I play.”
A night later, he aggravated the injury and was placed on the DL on May 26. The Mets thought he could return in early June and he played in a rehab game in Florida but left the game early in pain. Again, the Mets made it sound like he’d be back in a few days.
“All the indications I have is that it wasn’t as damaging as it sounded,” Manuel said. “So maybe instead of Friday, then we’ll have him back by the weekend. If not, then definitely for the Phillies series when we get home.”
The team then announced he had a slight tear in his hamstring. Reyes had a cortisone shot last week because the pain has not gone away. The Mets have no timetable on his return, but it won’t be earlier than the end of the month.
J.J. PUTZ
INJURY: Bone spur in right elbow
THE BEGINNING: Putz had a stretch of ineffectiveness and complained of a sore elbow. An MRI showed bone spurs, which the team knew he had when they traded for him last winter, and he was given a cortisone shot (hope the Mets got a deal on cortisone) on May 14.
THE END: The reliever did return, but continued to be in pain. The Mets placed him on the DL on June 5 and he had elbow surgery four days later. Though he has not begun throwing, his rehab is ahead of schedule and he could be back in early August.
JOHN MAINE
INJURY: Right shoulder weakness
THE BEGINNING: After undergoing shoulder surgery last year, Maine’s velocity was down this season and he felt tightness in the shoulder . Manuel said he hoped it was just a dead arm and Maine would come through it.
THE END: He wound up on the DL on June 12, which caused him to miss a scheduled start against the Yankees. He was expected back on June 22, his first day of eligibility, but felt a pinch in his shoulder during a simulated game in Florida, setting him back. He suffered another delay in late June while playing catch in preparation for a rehab assignment. Minaya said last week the team hopes to have him back by mid-August.
OLIVER PEREZ
INJURY: Right knee tendinitis
THE BEGINNING: Perez complained of knee pain after an awful start to the season. The Mets thought the tendinitis was something he could play through and demoted him to the bullpen on May 4.
“The medical people didn’t feel like it was anything that would warrant a missed start or the DL,” Manuel said.
THE END: Perez went on the DL on May 6 and the knee got worse as Perez tried to rehab. He was shut down on May 30 because of recurring pain. He returned to the Mets last week and picked up a win against the Dodgers, but was his usual erratic self.